Thesis format checklists for 10 US universities
Each page pulls one school's official thesis and dissertation formatting rules into a short, tickable checklist: margins, font size, spacing, page numbers, front matter order, figures, references, how to submit, and the posted deadlines.
Unofficial, AI-assisted summaries.
Every item links back to the school's own guide and shows the date we checked it. Where an official guide doesn't say, we write "Not stated in official guide" instead of guessing.
Schools
- MIT thesis format checklist
- UIUC thesis format checklist
- Duke thesis format checklist
- Arizona State thesis format checklist
- UNC-Chapel Hill thesis format checklist
- Penn State thesis format checklist
- Ohio State thesis format checklist
- Michigan thesis format checklist
- Georgia Tech thesis format checklist
- Texas A&M thesis format checklist
At a glance
| School | Margins | Font |
|---|---|---|
| MIT | Not stated in official guide (the guide refers to 'the specified margins' for footnotes bu | Font: not required; a sans serif font is suggested for readability. |
| UIUC | Minimum 1 inch on all sides. No text other than page numbers may extend into the margin; f | Body text 10 to 12 point, easily legible; size and type consistent through front matter an |
| Duke | 1.5 inch left; 1 inch top, right and bottom, on every page. Bottom 1 inch is measured belo | A commonly accepted font in your field (typically Times Roman, Garamond, Arial or Helvetic |
| Arizona State | 1.25 inch left and right; 1 inch top and bottom, on every page including appendices. | Use one of the listed TrueType fonts at its listed size: Arial 10pt, Century 11pt, Garamon |
| UNC-Chapel Hill | 1 inch top, right and bottom; left 1 inch (or 1.25 inch if you want binding room). First p | A TrueType font recommended by ProQuest. |
| Penn State | 3/4 inch or 1 inch on all sides is acceptable; a wider left margin (e.g., 1.5 inch) may be | Standard typeface, 10, 11 or 12 point. |
| Ohio State | 1 inch top, bottom, left and right (1.5 inch left recommended if you want a bound personal | 10 to 12 point, readable, consistent throughout. |
| Michigan | At least 1 inch on all sides of every page (required). At least 2 inch top margin on the t | Legible font, 12 point, black for all body text (required); Times/Times New Roman or Arial |
| Georgia Tech | Right 1 inch, bottom 1 inch, left 1.5 inch (master's: 1 inch left allowed if it will never | One font preferred throughout. Recommended: Arial 11, Courier 11–12, Century Gothic 11–12, |
| Texas A&M | 8.5 × 11 inch pages, minimum 1 inch margins; variations (e.g., wider binding margin) allow | One font and 12 point throughout; accessible fonts encouraged (templates use Arial in Word |